Quote Originally Posted by Pillz View Post
Mehul's core experiment failed, he recognized that after the forced shuffle. That's why there was never another one. And why trading was legalized by OMAC. The community held extensive talks on the topic. VT2 and Catwalk were particularly opposed iirc.

I dont think that cheating ever strangled anything. The game had more cheating ten years ago, and more ghetto players and kingdoms and alliances.

In 2007 you had almost 50 ghettos in just three alliances... Those were real people in those **** Kingdom.

Talk of bullying is delusional. It doesn't exist in Utopia. The closest you get to it is when you find a trash kingdom that's going to hit you for 3+ days for a retal. And those are not 'top' kingdoms or forum personalities, like you are always decrying as evil game ruining individuals.

You, referring collectively to the less-than-informed masses.

<Edited - Reason: Inappropriate Language>
Bullying does exist but my impression is we're debating semantics. People tend to deflect things as better ways than dealing with a problem. We aren't so far away in our assessment of the game as some might believe. I'm willing to listen as you apparently are.

Mehuls failure wasn't the failure of an idea. There's no failure as it were, just data that suggests we as a community act in ways that subvert culture more than we build. Even if Mehul doubted himself or changed his objectives to "gaming" the results are here before us. I've no faith in institutions. Great ideas can come from the most evil, so we have to learn about compartmentalizing.

That a lot of guys enjoyed deep competition isn't lost on me. But look at them now. Where are they? Look at the top. It's more an aftermath than a gleaming example of the past. I've often said that the game can survive to the point where nostalgia creeps in on old players. It requires nurturing, not neglect.

Players that despise the efforts of those who try; they're like victims of abuse. Burning everything either because glory has passed them or old wounds nag at them. The new devs may've been contributors to the downfall of the game, but my faith lies in their recognition of the innate beauty of the game. Nobody needs to apologize for anything, but the time has come for players to recognize the long term effect of channeling poor behavior over stewardship. My respect for the devs doesn't come from expectation, but simply that they endeavor to lift Utopia from certain death.